Rylan, check out Ariel Bloomer. She was born in Sweden. And, unlike the other girl you posted, she has a very sweet, sexy, quality to her voice. I don't much listen to this kind of music. What is it? Pop punk. Alt metal. Don't know and don't care. These are good songs. Very melodic. I may d/l their album. Anyway, she's kinda cute?

Ok, here goes. Instead of a Top 20 of songs I included my favorite songs from the respective albums plus a few more from albums that didn't quite make the cut. Guess I don't listen to much "real" "rock" these days. Sorry for being a little excessive.

So i've given some time to your best of, that JEssie Ware stuff is pretty amazing. The sea and cake seem a little monotonous, but still extremley enjoying to listen to. The Dylan stuff is just too raspy for me nowadays, the MNDR track is pretty great and I like the Grizzly Bear more than I originally though that I did. I think I just went into it with the thought, if this isn't something spectacular, I'm not interested. It's not better than their last album, but more upbeat and listenable than their first album. I'm just not really into that Frank Ocean album or thatFiona Apple stuff. Tamaryn is also good in smaller doses, like a track here and there, listening to that album in its entirety is sort of a chore for me.

Troy Loney wrote:So i've given some time to your best of, that JEssie Ware stuff is pretty amazing. The sea and cake seem a little monotonous, but still extremley enjoying to listen to. The Dylan stuff is just too raspy for me nowadays, the MNDR track is pretty great and I like the Grizzly Bear more than I originally though that I did. I think I just went into it with the thought, if this isn't something spectacular, I'm not interested. It's not better than their last album, but more upbeat and listenable than their first album. I'm just not really into that Frank Ocean album or thatFiona Apple stuff. Tamaryn is also good in smaller doses, like a track here and there, listening to that album in its entirety is sort of a chore for me.

Glad you like so much of it. If you like the MNDR song you should check out the whole album. It's pretty good.

I'll try and check out some of the stuff on your list over the weekend.

I saw the review on pitchfork, then I saw that they compared one of the songs to sort of traditional Mackaye Fugazi song...it's pretty good, the song that is...not really into the album on first listen.

In August 2006 I was approached to assist with the sourcing, cleanup and mastering of various Joy Division gigs for inclusion in the then-upcoming double-CD deluxe edition reissues. The in-between story, between first being drafted into the project and then September 2007's Warner Brothers/Rhino release of the Unknown Pleasures, Closer and Still Collector's Editions, is boring and not really worth rehashing.

What is relevant is that six years is a long time ago, with regards to my skill set and general knowledge of audio theory and mastering. I listen to the stuff I turned in to the band and Rhino in late 2006 and essentially cringe. Not because it's bad, because it's not, but with where I've advanced to today my 2006 work sounds amateur to these ears. And while it's out there for the world to enjoy (and the two sets I did, for Closer and Still, all got great reviews), I can no longer listen without wishing for a mulligan.

Well, with my blog avenue, I can finally take that mulligan.

I went back to the original raw transfers from Duncan Haysom's 1980 master cassette tapes, the very tapes on which he recorded the Joy Division gigs that we released. I started from scratch - essentially, if Warners came knocking today and asked me to master these gigs, I did what I'd do for them with the skills, techniques, secret sauces and magic I've either advanced or flat-out learned anew since 2006.

They are spectacular. Not to toot my own horn, but these now simply crush what was used on the 2007 releases. Even the most hearing-challenged of listeners can tell the difference, and not just by minutiae. Cymbals ring, drums go THWACK and not "thwop", guitars slice through the murk.

If there were any justice in this world, Rhino would pull the 2007 sets off the market and reissue with these masterings. One can dream...

So we start, chronologically by performance date, with the set used in association with the Closer Collector's Edition. Recorded by Duncan, this set from the University of London Union is a stormer. You get the still in-development Closer tracks (which had yet to be recorded by Martin Hannett) mixed in with stridently-performed Unknown Pleasures and other pre-Closer choices. You get "Dead Souls" brilliantly leading off the set, and you get "Digital" taking us out. And thanks to Duncan, it's magically captured on C45 tape for us to enjoy 32+ years on.

Of the bands I didn't know, Chairlift or Hunx stood out to me. Good stuff. Hunx are like a beefy version of the Beach Fossils or Real Estate. King Krule is really promising. Sounds a bit like an updated version of Orange Juice. Terry Malts is good, too. I'd love to see them live. Oh, and I need to dl the Tanlines album.

Of the bands I didn't know, Chairlift or Hunx stood out to me. Good stuff. Hunx are like a beefy version of the Beach Fossils or Real Estate. King Krule is really promising. Sounds a bit like an updated version of Orange Juice. Terry Malts is good, too. I'd love to see them live. Oh, and I need to dl the Tanlines album.

Fang Island and The Orwells are just not my cup of coffee.

I feel like Terry Malts is an updated version of the Ramones, that's why I was so into it. I guess Hunx gets labeled under queercore or something like that...either way, always forever is the kind of catchiness that I'm immediately drawn to.

I think I might be an outlier on the Fang Island love, my friend thinks the only reason they get publicity is because Wayne Coyne's relative (nephew I think) is in the band. Orwells have that honed in youthful energy...that's another type of music I get drawn to.